Love Is
by xkissfromarosex
Summary: Love is the enchanted dawn of every heart.' A series of short stories exploring the theme of love between the Doctor, Rose, and many others.
1. Rose Tyler

_A/N: This fic is a series of (...well, they're longer than drabbles, so I suppose you'd call them short, unrelated stories) focusing on love. Any pairings, any situation, and each chapter will be based around a quote._

_Enjoy, and please review! :)_

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___'Women wish to be loved not because they are pretty, or good, or well bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves.' -_Henri Frederic Amiel

Rose Tyler hadn't really thought about love.

Her first love had been when she was five years old, and her mother bought her a pink bear. Rose was enamoured with the toy immediately, and dragged it everywhere with her. She'd named it Bill, much to her mother's amusement. Jackie'd told Rose that 'Bill' was actually a girl, hence the pink attire, but Rose refused to believe it.

Bill had been lost on their annual caravan visits down to Cornwall. They'd been on the beach, Rose cheerfully feeding Bill a ham sandwich when a seagull swooped down and clasped the bear with its teeth. Rose cried after it, following the bird and her bear all the way down to the edge of the pier. Jackie'd been able to stop Rose before she jumped off the dock and plummeted into the waves below.

Rose sobbed for a whole day, and spent the next one scouring the skies for the malicious bird. Needless to say, she never got Bill back.

Rose next experienced love when she'd began dating Mickey Smith. Kind, handsome, slightly dim Mickey Smith. He had adored her for as long as anyone could remember, and was overjoyed when she finally agreed to go to the movies with him.

It was a sweet, tender relationship. Rose felt safe in Mickey's arms, and he thought that this was him, for the rest of his life. Still, they were only fifteen years old, and Rose had other ideas.

She broke Mickey's heart the day she dumped him for Jimmy Stone.

Jimmy swept into Rose's life, and she fell for him hard and fast. He was a musician, and Rose loved to hear him play. He'd strum his battered guitar whilst sitting in his flat, and Rose watched him from the sofa, completely infatuated. She gave it all up for him; finished her education, moved in with him, convinced that they were so deep in love that nothing else mattered.

She was wrong.

He left her, packed up with another girl and left the country. Rose was hundreds of pounds in debt, and had no-where to go. She swallowed her pride, and marched back to her mother's flat, lugging her one suitcase stuffed with what Jimmy had left her.

Jackie welcomed her distressed daughter with open arms. What else _could_ she do? She tucked Rose into bed, setting aside a mug of coffee by the bed and leaving the heartbroken girl to cry.

Rose wished that she was five again, hugging Bill and having no care in the world. That was the kind of love she wanted.

She'd broken Mickey's heart, and now Jimmy had broken hers.

Rose decided that she'd never love again.

But then she'd met a man called the Doctor. A man who could change his face, a man who let her discover the whole of time and space. A man who owned a magical time machine, ready to take her wherever she desired. A man who showed her how to love again.

And she did. She loved again. She loved him.

Why should he love her back? She wasn't the prettiest girl in the world. Back in the day, all the boys had fancied her at school, but she dismissed them. She didn't believe that she was beautiful, despite her mother's contradictions. She wasn't a saint either. She was selfish, jealous, and sometimes cold. Her background wasn't of the highest class; her mother was a former hairdresser who lived off benefits. She wasn't graceful; once she'd fallen off a chair whilst reaching for something, and she couldn't dance. She didn't get her GCSE's, due to the whole Jimmy Stone incident.

But the Doctor loved her. Not because of her appearance, or her background, or her intelligence. He loved her because she was herself.


	2. Mickey Smith

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. This chapter is based around our favourite tin dog, Mr Mickey Smith. Enjoy, and please review :)_

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'The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love someone else.'- Anonymous

Mickey Smith first met Rose Tyler when he was five, and she was three. They were down at the park, and their mothers were chatting about what had been on the telly the night before. Mickey was fed up with playing on the swings, and his ice cream had been devoured in two seconds flat. He didn't fancy her back then, of course. The only thing he was interested in was the latest _'Hot Wheel' _car sold in the shop down the street. He vaguely remembered glancing at her, and she returned his look with a huge, toothy grin. He giggled back, and trundled over to the wispy blonde.

"Wha's your name?" Rose asked curiously, clutching a pink teddy bear.

"Mickey Smith," He replied shyly.

"Hello," She waved a chubby hand in his face. Mickey plonked himself down on her playmat and dug his toy car from his pocket. With his sticky fingers, he pushed the car around the grass, occasionally making car noises. "Wha's that?" Rose asked, pointing down at Mickey's car.

"S'car," He responded.

"Can I play?"

Mickey nodded, and handed the toy over to Rose. She pushed it around, laughing gleefully and blowing raspberries. She handed it back to Mickey.

"That was fun."

Mickey began to really like Rose Tyler.

When he was six and she was four, Mickey remembered that Rose was worried about starting school. Mickey's mother forced him to hold her hand, which he did with much disgust. Rose's hand was clammy and he felt stupid clutching it.

"Are you worried?" He asked her. Rose shook her head indignantly.

"Nope," She lied. Mickey left it there, as they had arrived at her class. "See you later!" She trilled, masking her fear with a cheerful expression. Mickey watched her stumble into the classroom, her eyes betraying her reservations.

Mickey had realised how brave she was at that moment.

When he was ten and she was eight, she held a birthday party at Jackie's flat. Rose wore a bright pink dress and balanced a wobbly tiara on her blonde hair. Mickey was invited, along with his father. They'd both been through a rough time since Mickey's mother had scarpered; packed up quietly one night and left the country without warning.

Mickey could remember Rose's face as he entered the flat. She greeted him with as much vigour as usual, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him. Whilst her friends were playing musical bumps, she sat aside with him.

"You OK?" She whispered, tucking a blonde strand behind her ear.

"Yeah. 'M fine," he assured her.

"D'ya wanna play?" She offered, jerking her chin at the busy living room. Mickey nodded with a smile and they joined in with the rest of the party. He noticed that she kept a watchful eye over him throughout the party.

Mickey then realised how kind and compassionate she was.

When he was fourteen and she was twelve, Jackie was going clubbing with her mates. Jackie had invited Mickey round to keep Rose company, as long as there was no 'funny business' between them.

They watched the telly and laughed together, despite the small age gap. Mickey found Rose witty and mature for her age, meaning hanging out with her was easier than hanging out with his other girl mates. He was dating Marcia Marks at that time, so Rose quizzed him about her.

"What's she like?"

"She's nice. Pretty."

"How pretty?"

"All my mates fancy 'er."

"So quite pretty then," Rose deduced.

They hardly spoke after that. Mickey wondered why. Was Rose jealous of Marcia? No, that couldn't be it. She was twelve, and he was fourteen. He was practically an adult, and she was still a little kid. Wasn't she? And he didn't care if she did have a crush on him.

Mickey then realised that he fancied Rose.

When he was sixteen and she was fourteen, he eventually asked her out. To his delight, she agreed almost immediately, and they dated for almost two years.

Before Rose met Jimmy.

He knew it was over when Rose had texted him, asking to meet up in the park. He'd seen her lusting after Jimmy, a handsome musician that dim Mickey Smith couldn't compare with. He'd been strong as Rose sobbed, desperately sorry for dumping him. He'd told her it was OK, but it really wasn't. He was breaking in two, leaving a part with her that he could never get back.

She came back to him a year later, torn up over Jimmy and her feelings for him. They resumed their relationship, and everything was back to normal.

Mickey knew it couldn't last.

Because then the Doctor waltzed into Rose's life. Clever, witty, and charismatic. How could Rose not travel with him? He whisked her away, and Mickey had to stand behind and watch. Because that was all he could do.

Throughout the years he'd known the Doctor, he'd seen how much Rose loved this mysterious man. Once again, he couldn't measure up.

Mickey had lost a lot of things in his life. His parents had abandoned him, he had no other family, he lived in a poky flat in a council estate.

But the hardest thing he'd ever had to do was to watch Rose, the woman he loved, sprint into the TARDIS like he meant nothing to her.


	3. Jackie Tyler

_A/N: OK, I know that I've been focusing on Rose's side through this story, but I'll be moving onto Martha and Donna soon._

_Please review!! :)_

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_'A mother understands what a child does not say.'_

Jackie Tyler could be called a lot of things. Pete called her 'Jacks', a sweet, affectionate substitute for the usual names shared between spouses. Rose called her 'Mummy' when she was small, before reverting to 'Mum' when she turned twelve and grew embarrassed of her mother's brassy nature when around Rose's mates. Around the estate, spiteful residents called the blonde many names, often being cruel and unjust.

But the one thing she couldn't be called was a bad mother.

Rose was the most important thing in her life. Jackie had already had Pete taken away from her, she refused to let anyone take her daughter away also.

She remembered holding her beautiful darling girl in her arms after twelve hours of painful labour. She stroked her baby's tiny face with her index finger, tracing the miniature creases delicately. She never wanted to let go.

On the night of Pete's death, she remembered putting Rose to bed. She could barely hold her due to her own sobbing frame. Touching Rose's cheek and inhaling her soft, flowery smell, a tear leaked over her cheek and onto Rose's face. It jerked the baby awake, and she began to moan and squeal. Jackie watched Rose calm down and drift into a gentle snooze. She didn't know

She watched Rose journey through her childhood easily. Their family dynamic came crashing down when Rose met Jimmy Stone, the soul destroying monster of a man. Rose tumbled into love with this mysterious man, and Jackie could only watch from the sidelines.

Rose pledged to her mother that Jimmy would never do anything to hurt her; they were so deep in love that nothing else mattered. Nothing at all.

But six months later, there was a knock at the door. Jackie was glued to 'Loose Women', sipping on a cup of tea and wondering when she was next going to hear from her daughter. It was a lot sooner than she thought.

Rose burst into tears as she crashed through the door, clutching a suitcase and what was left of her dignity. Jackie could only hold her tight and mutter assurances to her, kissing her matted hair and mentally slapping Jimmy Stone. Hard.

Rose didn't divulge in why exactly Jimmy had left heard; but Jackie decided that Rose didn't know the full truth herself. She didn't even want to know the full details, but she could tell that Rose was broken.

It took a few years to heal her completely, and Jackie didn't just have herself to thank. Mickey Smith was a big part of Rose's recovery; he'd taken her back almost instantly.

Jackie got Rose a job at Henricks, and everything was back to normal.

But then she watched Rose get involved with a man. Another mysterious dark stranger that Jackie didn't like. It was the same old story, and in the long run, her daughter was going to get her heart broken.

She watched Rose bob in and out of her life like the flicker of a faulty light bulb. Jackie couldn't tell Rose to stop and settle down; she wasn't a child anymore.

She watched Rose yell at her and Mickey in that cheap chippy down the road.

She watched Rose mourn for her doctor as a new one appeared in his place.

She also watched Rose fall in love with this new version. Even Jackie had to admit, he was very charming. Not that she'd ever tell him that.

Jackie was fiercely loyal to both Rose and the Doctor. It was on that perfectly normal day, when her daughter and this alien visited and interfered with the ghosts when everything changed. Jackie no longer was a bystander. She no longer watched. She was involved in the action. She was Rose Tyler, the Doctor's companion, just for a little while.

But then everything went wrong.

As she stood behind her daughter, clutching the hands of her impossible husband and the man who had become her son, she watched Rose slam her fists against the pale wall, sobbing and screaming protests, crying for her lost love.


	4. Martha Jones

_A/N: Quite a short one this time, but I hope you enjoy!_

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If you love someone, let them go. If they return to you, it was meant to be. If they don't, their love was never yours to begin with.

Martha Jones watched as the Doctor bounded around the console, an old dance that he'd perfected numerous years ago. Martha's heart lept, as it had many times before whilst she had been glued to this wonderful alien. His eyes were always wild with adventure, and yet shrouded with an ambiguity that made him so endearing.

He had altered her life forever; for the better. The things he made her feel were almost impossible, in her eyes.

But did he feel the same? Sometimes, when she'd figured out something he hadn't, or when she being so human and so different, and he looked at her...it gave her hope. But then his eyes would melt, and it was obvious he wasn't thinking about her. His mind was in a world where a certain Rose Tyler was also living. Crashing back into reality, the last place he wanted to be, the Doctor never seemed to notice what was right infront of him.

Jealously was relatively new to Martha. She'd never really liked a male this much before, probably down to her parents' issues with each other. But with the Doctor...well, she hoped she'd never get to meet Rose Tyler. She couldn't stand it to see the Doctor happy with another woman.

She mentally slapped herself. She wanted the Doctor to be happy, she did. Jealousy isn't pretty. Never was, never will be.

At the beginning of her time with him, she had a plan to cure his heartache. Just impress him as much as she could, so he'd fall in love with her, surley and forever. Yes, it was a little shallow, but Martha figured it could work. But she soon became conscious of the fact that it was all one way traffic.

"So, Martha Jones," The Doctor announced, interrupting her thoughts, "Where to now?"

"I get to choose?" She stuttered, lifting her eyebrows.

"You sound surprised!" The Doctor pouted, his lower lips jutting out profoundly. Martha tore her eyes away from his lips, hoping he didn't catch the slight pink tint developing in her cheeks.

But, surprise surprise, he didn't notice. He never notices.

"So. Where do you wanna go?" He reiterated, his feral hair bouncing about the place. Martha smiled bitterly.

_A place where no-one else can get to us. A place where you're not an alien and I'm not a human. A place without Rose Tyler. __A place where I was first._ _A place where you love me the way I love you._

"Anywhere."


	5. Donna Noble

_"I'll lean on you and you lean on me and we'll be okay."  
- Dave Matthews Band_

Donna Noble was the Doctor's best friend; there was no doubt about that. She made him laugh, made him question, and made him a lot more human. More than he'd ever desired. Her wry sense of humour and her empathetic outlook on life never faltered.

She had a talent for seeing what wasn't always obvious; and she could spot heartbreak from a mile off. When she first encountered the Doctor, he was dripping with raw emotion and his eyes were full of fiery anguish.

_"How'd you mean lost?"_ She'd asked, her anger subsiding for a while. His desolate stare answered her question. His mind was far away, and Donna soon figured out what his thoughts circled around. He grabbed the purple shirt and threw in over the banister in such a fierce manner that Donna didn't question his actions.

_"I can't do it!" _She'd squealed, her hands grappling the taxi edge as she positioned herself.

_"Trust me," _He had replied simply, arms outstretched and his tone confident.

_"Is that what you said to her?"_ Donna had dared to ask, _"Your friend, the one you lost. Did she trust you?"_

Donna didn't know why she had brought his friend up; maybe her mind was so busy whirring with adrenalin and apprehension that it just spilled out. The Doctor's face had softened, his arms still raised out to her.

_"Yes she did. And she's not dead, she is so alive. Now jump!"_

And she did. Jumped into his arms to stay alive and jumped into the new life to shed her old image and become a new person.

At their first goodbye, Donna saw another side of the mysterious Time Lord. She saw his eyes melt with memories as he uttered the name of his friend. Rose. He'd flashed Donna a small smile woven with promises and thank yous as he disappeared into the blue box and shot up into the sky. Donna watched, snow falling gently onto her hair and sticking to her skin.

When she found him again after months of searching, she'd imagined that everything would slot back into place. Which it did, eventually. His time with his former companion, Martha Jones, had done him some good; his eyes no longer betrayed as much pain and loss as they had from their previous encounter.

They travelled together, laughing through time and space. She couldn't believe it herself; she was a temp, only good at shorthand, typing and making coffees. It wasn't exactly the perfect life she'd decided to lead after her first encounter with the Doctor. Nor the requried life experience for being the Doctor's companion. But travelling through the stars opened her eyes to a whole other life.

Donna didn't want it to end, but, it did, like all good things. There came a time when Donna could no longer lean on the Doctor for help, because it was too dangerous. She didn't even know who he was, not anymore. And if she ever saw him again, her mind would burn up and she'd have no chance of living any life.

But when the Doctor felt lonely and needed a friend, he'd close his eyes, remember all the times he had with Donna, and then he'd smile. It didn't take away the pain, not entirely, but it was better than nothing.


End file.
